Vallicorte, my Place in the Sun

This article is probably the nearest I will come to writing my equivalent of ‘Under the Tuscan sun’ or ‘A year in Provence’. Books like these make finding and restoring these wonderful old farmhouses sound very easy and great fun. The simple part is the finding and falling in love – after that it is incredibly frustrating, expensive and very hard work. But I look back now at the many photographs of Vallicorte taken during the works of 1989 and ’90, and marvel at our good fortune.

"Vallicorte" is a hillside, probably named after a Roman fort, on which stands the obviously ancient farm buildings of Vallicorte and the old mills called Sassella. The steep countryside, the ancient terraced fields, and the natural pine and chestnut forest make this location very special. The warm Tuscan sunshine casts deep shadows under the pines and, as it sets, reflects brilliantly off the sea in the distance. The calm is the first thing visitors remark upon. No chemicals have ever been introduced to this landscape so the butterflies and the birds are naturally at home here with us. Wildflowers and orchids bloom all the year round, funghi of all kinds can be picked in the autumn, and in spring the bird song is continuous. Vallicorte organic olive oil is something special!

Our guests always ask how we came to find this wonderful place. Like all the best things in life it was by chance. My husband and I went to a lecture at the V and A, given by a well known designer who, instead of discussing architecture and design in general, spent the whole session telling the audience about the jewel of Tuscany, little discovered then, which is Lucca. Her slides were so beautiful, we decided to take a holiday there – it was the first of several holidays, and on the third visit we found our own jewel.

We rented one of a group of houses on a hill, in a hamlet called Compignano – known for the beautiful 17th century villa where Napoleon Bonaparte's sister Paulina, later the Principessa Borghesi sculpted by Canova, lived in 1814. We had invited friends for a few days. One very hot morning the husbands went for a walk and came back looking hot and exhausted but very excited.

"You just have to come to look at something immediately, something fantastic!" they enthused.

The only way down was by an extremely steep and rocky path, possibly last used by farmers, their goats and donkeys. Lying hidden cosily at the bottom was the ruined farm of Vallicorte in all its beauty. Poppies and thistles grew waist-high in the long grass, and all around was the hum of huge bumblebees, shiny green flying beetles and butterflies of many colours. Olive groves were choked with brambles, which came right up to the main house, and you had to fight your way to get to the walls. But, designers and architects as we were, the ideas came thick and fast. . . . .

It took two years of waiting for permissions to turn the animal byres on the ground floor into bedrooms and bathrooms, to make a swimming pool in the meadow, and most difficult of all, to turn the goat track into a proper asphalt road, under which the services were laid. There were many moments of doubt and apprehension – for instance when the digger came to make the enormous hole for the pool the destruction of that beautiful meadow made me very sad. I also think that it would have been perfect if we could have left the old barn with its three walls and the tree growing in the middle as it was, rather than building another house.

So today we have the large house divided into two, each house having four double bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, beautiful inglenook fireplaces in the sitting rooms, separate dining rooms, and terraces from which to watch the sunsets and the birdlife. The barn, like the house, has been restored in old stone, and all our floors have the original red bricks unaltered, just given the occasional coating of linseed oil. Swallows no longer nest in the beams, but the occasional baby bat and gecko still venture into the house.

We feel we are really just ‘custodians’ during our time here as the farmers were before us. It is a great privilege, and I am glad that many people each year come and enjoy the place. We have ‘family-times’ during the early summer and at Christmas when  young grandchildren have the excitement of digging up their own tree from the hillside; the houses are let in high summer, and in the spring and autumn people come to join our special interest groups – be they painters, cooks, musicians, or enthusiasts for the Italian art that is all around us in northern Tuscany. We welcome them as friends and provide them with the comforts of a private home. We often find guests in the kitchen or vegetable garden, helping with the preparation of food, or just picking the wonderful production of fruit and vegetables grown by our gardeners Brunello and Alvaro. Our first class cooks provide the delights of Tuscan cuisine for the long-table dinner by candlelight that takes place every evening.

The main ingredient of the success of the ‘Vallicorte experience’ is of course the fact that everybody in a group has an interest in common whether they come from Britain, Australia or North America. They find new enthusiasms and form new friendships. Good food and wine, logfires, swimming, tennis, or siestas are the ingredients for a relaxed and happy holiday. The leaders of the groups that come to us are specialists in their fields, and we choose them from the top of their particular tree. So our cookery guests will rub shoulders with celebrity cooks while they work "hands-on"; our painters can work alongside accomplished artists, and our enthusiasts for the Renaissance gain real insight into the treasures of Tuscany.

Although I could relax now, I thoroughly enjoy running the tours I have mentioned each year; and there is more to come at Vallicorte!

Berenice Bonallack